Merlin Law Group Joins Cohort On Discovery Protocols For COVID-19 Business Interruption Claims

DENVER, June 3, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- Merlin Law Group attorney Rene Sigman is part of a new project spearheaded by IAALS, the Institute for the Advancement of the American Legal System, to develop Initial Discovery Protocols for COVID-19 Insurance Claims. The goal is to establish concise pattern discovery protocols for the abundance of COVID-19 business interruption claims to assist both businesses and insurers in finding a resolution.

This 11-person cohort is made up of various expert plaintiff and defense attorneys from around the country as well as judges who hear these types of cases in their courts. You can read more about the exclusive panel here.

"I'm very excited to be part of a group chosen to brainstorm much needed protocols and guidelines for COVID-19 business interruption losses across the country," said Sigman. "These protocols will help narrow down issues and hopefully facilitate discussions for prompt resolution of those claims. Insurers and policyholders will both benefit from this process since the group is made up of representatives on the policyholder side, carrier side, and the judiciary."

As more businesses begin to look toward their insurance policies for assistive business interruption recovery, questions loom over how policy interpretation will determine the extent of coverage. Claims are already being filed nationwide by policyholders and many are expected to go to litigation. The abundance of claims will clog up the judicial system as policyholders seek recovery from their insurers.

The discovery process is often one of the most expensive and time-consuming components of litigation. IAALS hopes to expedite the process by creating a pretrial framework for parties and their counsel to:

• Exchange important information and documents early in the case;
• Frame the issues to be resolved;
• Value the claims for possible early resolution; and
• Plan for more efficient and targeted subsequent formal discovery, if needed.

This isn't the first time IAALS has worked to improve the discovery process for specific types of cases. Their previous work includes employment cases, fair labor standards act cases, and disaster cases. With disaster cases, IAALS created discovery benchmarks to help insurers and policyholders resolve claim disputes faster after hurricanes, tornados, and wildfires.

Merlin Law Group is also providing free business interruption claim reviews for claimants seeking relief from losses incurred from the pandemic. Affected policyholders can have their policies checked and learn more information here.

SOURCE Merlin Law Group, P.A.

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